Free TV Licence: Who Qualifies, Concessions, and How to Apply in 2026

June 24, 2026 George 0 Comments

The TV Licence costs £174.50 per year from April 2025 — but several groups can get one free or at a reduced rate. The largest group are people aged 75 and over who receive Pension Credit. Severely sight-impaired people get a 50% discount. And anyone who only watches on-demand content on non-BBC platforms does not need a TV Licence at all.

Here is the complete guide to every free and concessionary TV Licence option, exactly who qualifies, and how to apply for each.

Who Qualifies for a Free TV Licence?

Concession	Who Qualifies	Cost
Free licence (over-75)	Aged 75+ AND receiving Pension Credit (Guarantee or Savings Credit)	Free
Blind concession	Registered as severely sight impaired (blind)	£87.25/yr (50% off)
Care home (ARC licence)	Residents of qualifying residential care homes	Reduced rate per room via ARC scheme
No licence needed	Only watch non-BBC on-demand (Netflix, Disney+, ITVX catch-up etc.)	£0
Student battery exception	Student whose parents have a licence; watching on battery-only device not plugged in	£0 (parents’ licence covers)

Free TV Licence for Over-75s: Full Details

The free TV Licence for over-75s was a universal benefit for all people aged 75 and over until June 2020, when the BBC took over responsibility from the government. Since August 2020, the free licence is means-tested — it is only available to people aged 75 or over who receive Pension Credit.

Exact eligibility criteria

You must be aged 75 or over
You (or your partner living at the same address) must receive Pension Credit — either Guarantee Credit or Savings Credit
The free licence covers your household address
If only one partner is aged 75+ but they receive Pension Credit, the whole household qualifies

Pension Credit is a means-tested benefit for people on lower incomes in later life. It is worth checking whether you are entitled to Pension Credit even if you have never claimed it — a significant number of eligible people do not claim. You can check eligibility at gov.uk/pension-credit.

How to apply for a free over-75 TV Licence

Apply online at tvlicensing.co.uk/over75
Or call 0300 790 6113 to apply by phone
You will need your Pension Credit award letter or reference number
TV Licensing may verify your Pension Credit status with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)

If you currently have a paid TV Licence and become eligible for a free one (because you start receiving Pension Credit), contact TV Licensing immediately. You can claim a refund for any months paid since you became eligible.

If you are aged 75 or over but do not receive Pension Credit, you must pay for a TV Licence at the standard rate of £174.50 per year. The BBC made this change in 2020 against significant public criticism. Over-75s who do not receive Pension Credit but believe they may be entitled to it should check their eligibility.

Blind Concession: 50% Discount for Severely Sight-Impaired People

People who are registered as severely sight impaired (the legal term for registered blind) receive a 50% concession on the TV Licence. The discounted rate from April 2025 is £87.25 per year — half of the standard £174.50.

How to apply for the blind TV Licence concession

Apply online at tvlicensing.co.uk or call 0300 790 6113
You will need evidence of your registration as severely sight impaired — this is a certificate issued by your local authority following assessment
The concession applies to the person registered as severely sight impaired; it covers their household
People registered as sight impaired (partially sighted, rather than severely sight impaired) do not qualify for the concession — the discount is only for those on the severely sight impaired register

ARC Licence: Care Home and Sheltered Accommodation

The Accommodation for Residential Care (ARC) licence is a special TV Licensing scheme for care homes, nursing homes, and certain sheltered accommodation. Under ARC, the care home or accommodation provider purchases a licence at a reduced per-room rate rather than individual residents each needing their own licence.

ARC licence rates per room (2025-26): approximately £7.50 per room for independent rooms with their own TV. The exact rate depends on the number of qualifying rooms. Contact TV Licensing directly (0300 790 6113) for the current ARC rate schedule.

If you are a resident in a care home, you do not need to purchase your own TV Licence — your accommodation should be covered under the ARC scheme if it has one. Ask the care home manager or administrator whether an ARC licence is in place.

Do You Need a TV Licence to Watch Now TV?

No — watching Now TV’s on-demand content does not require a TV Licence. Now TV is Sky’s streaming service offering on-demand films, entertainment, and sports. Because it is on-demand content (not live broadcast), no licence is needed.

However: if you use Now TV to watch Sky News live, a live sports event, or any channel as it is being broadcast in real time, that is live TV and does require a TV Licence. The distinction is always live vs on-demand — not the platform you are using.

What Is Classed as Live TV for TV Licence Purposes?

This is one of the most important and misunderstood distinctions in TV Licensing rules. ‘Live TV’ for licensing purposes means watching a programme at the same time it is being broadcast — regardless of what platform, app, or device you use.

What You Are Watching	Live?	Licence Needed?
BBC One as it broadcasts	Yes	Yes
BBC iPlayer (any content, any time)	N/A	Yes — always
ITV evening news as it airs on ITVX	Yes	Yes
ITVX catch-up of last night’s news	No	No
Sky Sports live football on Now TV	Yes	Yes
Netflix (any content)	No	No
Disney+ (any content)	No	No
YouTube (pre-recorded video)	No	No
YouTube (live stream of a UK broadcast)	Yes	Yes
Amazon Prime Video (on-demand)	No	No

The BBC iPlayer rule is the one that catches most people off guard. Every other platform is governed by the live/on-demand distinction — but BBC iPlayer requires a TV Licence for all content, whether live, catch-up, or box sets, at all times. This has been the case since September 2016.

Declaring You Don’t Need a TV Licence

If you do not need a TV Licence — because you only watch non-BBC on-demand content — you can formally declare this to TV Licensing. This stops enforcement letters and creates a formal record that you have declared your address as not needing a licence.

How to declare:

Go to tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one and select ‘I don’t need a TV Licence’
Or go directly to the short URL: tvlicensing.co.uk/noTV
You confirm your address and declaration — TV Licensing sends an acknowledgement
TV Licensing may still contact your address periodically to re-confirm — the declaration is not permanent

Are you a student wondering whether you need a TV Licence at university? See our full guide to student TV Licence rules, the battery loophole, and summer refunds.

Getting letters from TV Licensing at an address where no licence is needed? See our guide to TV Licence enforcement and what inspectors can actually do — including your rights if they knock on your door.

Need to change your direct debit or update your address with TV Licensing? See how to manage your TV Licence account, direct debit, and payment plan.

Worried a TV Licensing email you received might be a scam? Read our guide to spotting and reporting TV Licence scam emails before clicking anything.

Bottom Line


Free licence (over-75)	Must be 75+ AND receive Pension Credit — apply at tvlicensing.co.uk/over75
Blind concession	50% off (£87.25/yr) for registered severely sight-impaired people
Care home	ARC licence covers residents — check with your care home manager
Standard cost	£174.50/year from April 2025
Now TV — licence needed?	No for on-demand; yes if watching live broadcasts via Now TV
BBC iPlayer — licence needed?	Yes — always, regardless of whether content is live or catch-up
Declaring no TV needed	tvlicensing.co.uk/noTV — stops enforcement letters

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get a free TV Licence?

The main route to a free TV Licence is being aged 75 or over and receiving Pension Credit (either Guarantee Credit or Savings Credit). Apply at tvlicensing.co.uk/over75 or call 0300 790 6113. You need your Pension Credit award letter. People who are aged 75+ but do not receive Pension Credit must pay the standard rate of £174.50/year.

Do blind people get a free TV Licence?

No — severely sight-impaired (blind) people receive a 50% discount on the TV Licence, bringing the annual cost to £87.25 from April 2025. The concession applies to those registered as severely sight impaired by their local authority. People registered as sight impaired (partially sighted) do not qualify for the discount.

Do you need a TV Licence to watch Now TV?

No, for on-demand content. Watching Now TV’s on-demand films and series does not require a TV Licence. However, if you use Now TV to watch live channels — live sports, Sky News as it broadcasts, or any channel in real time — that is live TV and does require a licence.

What is classed as live TV for TV Licence purposes?

Live TV means watching any programme at the same time it is being broadcast, on any device and any platform — whether a TV set, laptop, phone, or app. BBC iPlayer is a separate category: any use of BBC iPlayer requires a TV Licence regardless of whether the content is live or catch-up. Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, and non-BBC on-demand content do not require a licence.

Can I watch BBC iPlayer without a TV Licence?

No. BBC iPlayer requires a TV Licence for all content at all times — live programmes, catch-up content, box sets, and downloads. This has been the rule since September 2016. No other streaming platform has this requirement: the obligation to hold a licence applies exclusively to BBC iPlayer and to live TV broadcasts on any platform.